Aaron Judge's Elimination Game Heroics Heralded as Yankees Advance to ALCS vs. Astros

The New York Yankees survived a stiff test from the Cleveland Guardians to advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2019.

Thanks to the big bats of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees earned a 5-1 victory in Game 5 over the Guardians on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

Stanton got the scoring started in the first inning with a three-run homer off Aaron Civale. Judge joined the fun with a solo shot in the bottom of the second inning off Sam Hentges.

This marked the fourth different time Judge and Stanton have homered in the same game in the playoffs.

Per MLB.com's Sarah Langs, the only losses for the Yankees when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game were the Field of Dreams game against the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and when Judge hit his 62nd homer of the regular season on Oct. 4.

Judge, who could be playing his final games in the Bronx with free agency looming, has developed a flare for the dramatic in his postseason career.

The presumptive favorite to win the AL MVP became MLB's all-time leader in homers in winner-take-all playoff games on Tuesday.

The Yankees are 3-1 in those games when Judge homers. This is their first such victory in a playoff series. Their two previous wins came in the one-game wild card in 2017 and 2018. He also hit one in New York's 2-1 loss in Game 5 of the 2020 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the Bronx Bombers now four wins away from their first World Series appearance since 2009, here's the reaction to Judge's homer and the Yankees celebrating.

Because of Game 5 having to be rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday because of rain in New York, Judge and the Yankees don't have much time to enjoy this victory.

The Yankees and Houston Astros will play Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. Manager Aaron Boone has already said Jameson Taillon, who would have started if there were a game Monday, will take the ball for New York.

Houston will counter with AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander. This will mark the third time in the past six seasons the Yankees and Astros have played for the AL pennant. Houston won the previous two meetings in 2017 and 2019.